Main Project Plan and Inspirations

Naturally, as a mechanical engineering student I have a love for mechanical devices. I enjoy playing with gears and building blocks, which is why my aesthetic is going to be my best attempt at steampunk. Steampunk is an aesthetic that revolves around 19th century steam powered machinery. The time period often takes place during the Victorian era (1820 – 1914). In steampunk you see very complicated machinery with exposed supports, pipes, and  gears.

My goal is to create a mechanical, rotating, watch holder. I am going to make use of bevel gears to translate a vertically placed hand crank into horizontal motion of a holding plate. I am going to keep the gears exposed in order to emphasize the steampunk aesthetic that I am going for. I also might add pipes and other gears around the holder if I have enough time. I am still debating on whether I should 3D print the gears or just buy metal ones off McMaster. 3D printed gear can be a little finicky but will probably be a lot cheaper than buying large gears from McMaster since the large bevel gear will probably have to be about 6” in diameter. 

Above is an initial concept sketch that I have made. I plan on 3D printing a plate that will sit on top of the bottom bevel gear and have little protrusions that will hold the watches. The hand crank will be attached to a ball bearing that will allow the crank to move smoothly. . This will likely be a present to my father since he has a bunch of watches that he just sets on top of his night stand.